RAPID CITY, S.D. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) - A Rapid City man accused of beating his ex-girlfriend and taking their two young daughters has pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault and kidnapping charges.

The charges against 27-year-old Skye Burnham-Endicott stem from a mid-February incident in which he allegedly kicked, stabbed and choked the mother of his children and took the 1-month-old and 1-year-old children. Authorities issued an Amber Alert before finding the children unharmed a short time later.

Burnham-Endicott does not have custody rights to the children.

He remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bond. He could face life in prison if convicted of first-degree kidnapping.